U.S. soldier comes out to his father

“I called my dad to tell him the hardest thing that gay guys will ever have to say,” wrote the American soldier, stationed in Afghanistan, under the YouTube handle, “AreYouSurprised,” just hours after the official repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” allowing homosexual members of the US military to serve openly.

In the first moments of the seven-minute, thirty-two second video, a blond-haired boy enters the screen and unsteadily asks, “Hey, can I tell you something?” before he proceeds to finally come out to his father over the phone. The video acts as the conclusion of an arduous journey for this young, unnamed soldier.

Since last April, “AreYouSuprised” has posted a series of 17 YouTube videos chronicling his life as a gay man in the military in the final months before the repeal of the 18-year-old “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. In his first video, the soldier stated that he had a modest goal of 1000 views and 100 subscribers. He had no idea, however, just how much his story would affect thousands of people from all over the world. And as he continued to post more videos, the soldier eventually decided to come out to his family and friends.

Within hours of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” being officially repealed, the soldier finally showed his face—to over 10,000 viewers—as he told his father that he was, in fact, gay.

Although we can read President Obama’s comments on the repeal of this “discriminatory law” or see photos from celebratory parties around the country that took place just after midnight, those experiences are naught compared to the look on this young man’s face as his father responds to his coming out by saying, “I love you anyway.”